Oh, Hi! (dir. Sophie Brooks)
By: Tarek Fayoumi
A lovely young couple jets off to a romantic weekend rendezvous at a rustic cabin, secluded from the monotony of daily life. Romance and the promise of an evolving relationship become the expectation, at least for one of the film’s two central characters. Oh, Hi! written and directed by Sophie Brooks (The Boy Downstairs) is a fling of a dark romcom in which relationship sabotage creates turmoil making difficult the search for common ground. Deep below the surface though, there is uncharted territory to be navigated in a friendship that is hard to bear. It follows one relationship assumed to be serious with an odd turn that brings the film into a context of curiosity. Why do lies exist in a relationship? Why are romantic plans so often derailed at the most inopportune of times?
Oh, Hi! features main characters Isaac, played by Logan Lerman (We Were the Lucky Ones, Fury) and Iris, who is embodied by Molly Gordon (Theater Camp, Booksmart). Once Isaac and Iris arrive at their getaway, they are initially quite lovey-dovey; however, chemistry quickly collapses as Isaac’s laid back demeanor regarding the weekend offers proof that he has no real designs on the idea of romance. For Iris, this couldn’t be further from the truth, her heart is set on Isaac being the answer to her romantic designs. The unfortunate reality is that Oh, Hi! offers a deceitful surprise in store for Iris.
Even though they appear to be a strong couple, Isaac tells Iris he does not want anything serious. This prompts Iris to go to extreme measures and once this rubicon is crossed, the trip begins to go downhill for the couple. This is one of the many moving parts of Brooks’ film that seemed too predictable. The measures that Iris takes to preserve her relationship offers no clarity, and ultimately her desire to isolate her love interest solves nothing. The ultimate question that mounts for audiences is why their romantic entanglement cannot just be dealt with with dignity and mutual consideration? The writing of the relationship did not create excitement or cinematic enthusiasm to any noteworthy heights, despite offering hints of creativity within the building of characters. Despite a strong performance from Molly Gordon, Sophie Brooks’ Oh, Hi! is far less than I anticipated.
Target Score 4/10 - Offering no real revelation, Oh, Hi! Is a ho-hum dark romcom that wastes a wonderful Molly Gordon performance in its misplayed romantic pursuits.